1. Field of Invention
This invention is a device for cooking foodstuffs, in particular it relates to an electrical cooker that roasts garlic.
2. Description of Prior Art
Garlic is one of the oldest and most popular flavoring herbs in the world having been used as a food and medicine for centuries by all cultures. Over 200 million pounds of garlic are produced annually in the United States with its use having quadrupled in the past twenty-five years. It is a very pungent herb that when roasted the cloves soften and the sugars become concentrated creating a mild and nutty flavor. It is very popular as it becomes spreadable and its unique taste enhances many foods.
Roasted garlic is a favorite appetizer both in homes and restaurants and there are many recipes that call for its addition.
Presently the best method to roast a bulb of garlic is in a roasting container generally made of clay or ceramic or simply wrapping it in aluminum foil. Usually oil is added and then it is placed in a conventional oven at 350 to 400 degrees for approximately 45 minutes or if a lower temperature is used the cooking time must be increased. This procedure is not only time prohibitive but also wastes large amounts of energy heating a conventional oven. Because of this most people will not bother to roast a single bulb.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,026,734 to Dadez (2000) discloses a garlic roaster comprised of two parts, a top and bottom. The top having a receptacle in which a basting material is added and enters and bastes the food located on the base plate during the roasting operation. It still must be placed in an oven for the standard baking time. This does not solve the problem of the lengthy cooking time or the excessive energy waste. Therefore there is a need for an appliance that will cook one or more bulbs of garlic quickly and easily with little waste of energy.
Accordingly, the principle object of the invention is to overcome the disadvantages mentioned by providing an electrical cooker that cooks the garlic fast and uses only a small amount of energy to replace what before took large amounts in a conventional oven.
Another object of the invention is to eliminate the excess heat put into a room by a conventional oven.
A further object of the invention is to provide a safe and convenient method of roasting garlic that can be utilized in any home.
These and other objects of the present invention are included in the preferred embodiment of a cooking device described herein comprised of a bowl-like lower cooking plate having a top planar surface surrounding a raised annular beveled rim adjacent a central circular recessed region and a domed upper cooking plate having a bottom planar surface surrounding a recessed annular beveled rim extending around a deeper central recessed dome area. These cooking plates when closed align in nestable cooperation to form a cooking chamber in which the garlic is placed. A heating element is located in close proximity to the cooking plates that provides heat to the cooking chamber and cooks the garlic within. A heat resistant housing surrounds the cooking plates in a somewhat decorative design. The apparatus may also contain multiple plate and cover combinations that provide surfaces for additional bulbs to be cooked simultaneously which may be advantageously used, for example, in restaurants.